Wheel.



P. C. VENSKE.

WHEEL.

APPLICATIQN FILED OCT- 7. 1914.

2 @/ZZO/ SHEET 2.

2 SHEETS- Patented Nov. 9

fflJJJ/ earns PANT orrron PAUL C. VEN SKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 ISABELLE C. OKEEFFE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov 51, 1915.

Application filed October 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,480.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, PAUL C. Vnnsnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVheels, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wheels, and more particularly to stamped metal wheels for use on automobiles, motor vehicles, and. other a simple, substantial, and rigid wheel, constructed so as to have considerable elasticity whereby, when subjected to sudden, lateral stress and shock, it may yield and return to normal position after the shock has subsided.

Another object is to provide a stamped metalwheel, with a reinforcement of such form and construction as will readily adapt itself to many types of stamped metal Wheels, and which re-inforcement'shall be rigid .and yet have a limited amount of resiliency to permit of a certain amount of flexibility of the Wheel in a lateral direction.

Uther objects and advantages will appear in thecourse of this specification, and with all of said objects and advantages in View,

this invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification, in

which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete wheel embodying a simple form of the present invention, showing certain portions broken out to illustrate the re-inforcement, two of the reinforcement members being shown in side elevation and one in section. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the two side mem-v bers which constitute the main body of the wheel, the line of section being taken at 2-2 in Fig. 1, and the re-inforcement being omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 3- 3 of Fig. 1, enact the halves of the upper spoke re-inforcement member being cut away, and the lower one being shown in elevation. Fig. 1 is a detail cross section taken on the line 4Q4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail cross section taken on the line 55 of F ig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail cross section taken on the line 6(5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail cross section taken onthe line 77 of Fig. 3 Fig. 8 is a detail section taken on the l ne 8 8' of Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the spoke reinforcement members.

Referring to said drawings, which show a simple embodiment of the invention, the reference letters 10, 10, designate two substantially similar side members of the wheel, each consisting of a centrally disposed,

i dished, disk-like hub portions, 12, the outer vehicles, and its primary ob ect 18 to provide part, 13, of which is struck up toward the center of the wheel, as seen in Fig. 2, so that When'the two side members are assembled, the central portions are spaced apart, and said struck-up portions, 13, converge toward each other and their marginal edges, 14, abut against each other and are secured together, as, for instance, by spot-welding them together. The central part of each hub portion is provided with a central openmg for the reception of the hub proper, 15, and said central partis formed with an internal flange, 16, abutting against thehub, 15,21s clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

The converging portions, 13, of the hub part are struck up, as at 17 to form spoke impressions, and extending radially beyond said spoke impressions, are tubular spoke portions, 18, which extend out to rim porspot-welded together at many places along their length. Around the rim portion, 19, is the usual tire receiving rim, '11. I make no claim to the form of sheet metal wheel body thus far described, but it' is one to which the resentiorm of reinforcement may be readily applied.

The most serious difficulty which is encountered with a struck-up sheet metal wheel is thelateral strain to which wheels are subjected, and the danger of dishing the wheel from side thrusts, and it is with the view of re-inforcing a sheet metal wheel in such manner as to eliminate the danger of dishing the wheel or bending the spokes from violent side thrusts, that my present invention is directed. Generally speaking, I provide a reinforcement for each spoke, extending from the rim of the the wheel from the rim to the hub.

In the particular form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the re-inforce' ment, 20, (see Fig. 9), comprises two substantially similar halves, 21, placed back to back and rigidly secured together, as for instance, by spot-welding them at various places, as indicated at 22. Each half comprises a flat web portion, 23, formed along its edges with flanges, 24:, preferably extending from end to end and across one end, as at 25. When made for use in connection with the form of sheet metal wheel heretofore described, one end portion, 26, of the spoke re-inforcement is formed to fit tightly within the tubular spoke portion of the wheel,-and the flanges, 2st, of the said portion, 26, are therefore made curved to conform to the inner face of the tubular spoke portion, as clearly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. By reason of said Gurved flanges, the re-inforcement has a slight amount of flexibility at that place, and the spoke may therefore yield slightly when subjected to side strains and sidewise blows instead of bending and becoming set. Below the portion of the re-inforcement which fits in the spoke portion of the wheel, the web is shaped to conform with the inner faces of the hub portion, and the flanges, 24, at this point are flat and bear against the inner faces of the hub portions. At a suitable point on that part of the spoke re-inforcement within the hub portion, the metal of each webportion, 23, is struck up in a substantially semicircular form, as at 27, to provide a centrally disposed opening, 28, (when the two halves are joined together), for -the reception of a bolt, 29, which also passes through the hub portions, 12, and the flanges, 30, 31, of the hub proper, 15, as clearly indicated in Figs. 1, 3, and 7.

From the above description, it is readily apparent that the re-inforcement conforms generally to the tubular spoke portions, the spoke-impressions of the hub portions, and the fiat, central portions thereof, the web portion, 23, of the spoke re-inforcements extending axially across the spoke portions and hub portions and acting to resist lateral stress and strains, whereas the curved flanges of the spoke re-inforcements give a certain amount of flexibility or elasticity to the wheel in a sidewise direction. Furthermore, the spokes extend from the hub,*15, to the outer-rim of the wheel and transmit stress from the hub. to the rim. By tightening up the nuts on the bolts, 29, the spoke re-inforcements and hub portions are rigidly secured together so that there is no danger portion, tubular spoke portions projecting therefrom, and a rim ortion at the outer ends of the spoke portlons, in combination with spoke re-inforcements, one in each spoke. and having a longitudinally extending, transverse web portion, formed with flanges at its side edges conforming to and bearing against the inner faces of the hub portion and spoke portion, said spoke rein forcements being rigidly secured in the hub and spoke portions.

2. A wheel body comprising two companion side members, each having a central hub portion, spoke portions projecting therefrom, and a rim ortion at the outer ends of the spoke portions, in combination with spoke re-inforcem'ents, one in each spoke portion, and havin a centrally disposed, longitudinally exten ing web portion formed at its side edges with flanges conforming to and bearing against the inner faces of the hub portion and spoke portion, and rigidly secured therein.

3. \A wheel body comprising two compan- I ion side members, each having a central hub portion, tubular spoke portions projecting therefrom, the spoke portion of one side member being closely enveloped in the spoke portion of the opposite side member, and a rim portion at the outer ends of the spoke portion, in combination with spoke re-inforcements, one in each spoke member, and extending from the rim portion into the hub portion, and having a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending web portion formed at its side edges with flanges conforming to and bearing against the inner face of the spoke and hub portion, said spoke reinforcement being rigidly secured in the hub portion and spoke portions.

4. A wheel body comprising two companion side members, each having a central hub portion, spoke portions projecting therefrom, and a rim portion at the outer ends of the spoke portions, in combination with spoke re-inforcements, one in each spoke, and having a longitudinally extending, transverse web portion, formed with flanges at its side edges, curved along a portion of its length and conforming to and bearing against the inner face of the tubular spoke ortion, said curved flanges merging into at flange portions conforming to and bearing against the inner faces of the hub portions. a

5, A. wheel body comprising two companion side members, each having a central hub portion, spoke portions projecting therefrom, and a rim portion at the outer ends of the spoke portions, in combination with spoke re-inforcements, one for each spoke, and having a central web portion formed with flanges at its side edges conforming to and bearing against the inner face of tubu lar spoke portion, and the inner faces of the hub portions.

6. A- wheef'bodycomprising two companion side members, each having a central hub portion, consisting of a fiat, central part,

spaced away from the other flat, central part, and having'its outer edge converging to and meeting with the converging edge of the other centralpart, tubular, spoke portions projecting from said hub portions and rim portions at the outer ends of the spoke portions, in combination with'spoke re-inforcements, one for each spoke portion, and formed. with a central, longitudinally extending web, formed with flanges along its edges, the flanges in the spoke portion being curved and bearing against the inner faces of the spoke portion, and thefianges in the hub portions beingflat and bearing against the inner faces of the hub portions.

7. A wheel body comprising two companion side sections having spaced disk-like hub portions, merging into tubular spoke portions, the spoke portions of one side memlrer being closely enveloped by those of the other, and rim portions at the outer ends of the spoke portions, vin combination with a hub extending through said hub portions,

and spoke re-inforcements, one for each the other half, and each formed with flanges at its side edges, curved in cross section at one end and flat in cross section at the other end.

9. A spoke re-inforcement for sheet metal wheels, comprising two substantially similar halves, each half comprising a flat, web portion bearing against the flat, web portion of the other half, and rigidly secured there to, said web portions being formed with oppositely extending, curved flanges at its side edges adapted to fit against the inner face of a tubular spoke, said curved flanges merging into flat flange portions adapted to fit against the inner faces of hub portions of the metal wheel. p

10. A spoke re-inforcement for sheet metal wheels, comprising two substantially similar halves, each half consisting of a flat, web portion having curved-flange portions at one end and merging into flat flange portions at the other end, and each fiat web portion being-formed with a transverse, struck-up, semi-circular portion opposing the other, for the reception of a bolt, the tWo halves being set back to-back and spot-welded together.

PAUL GQVENSK Witnesses SAM B. THOMAS, CHARLES O. SHERVEY. 

